Engine gang-plow.



W. N. SPRINGER.

ENGINE GANG PLOW.

v APPLICATION FILED DEC. 9, 1913. 1,101,350. Patented June 23,1914.

5 SHBETSfSHEET 1.

INVENTOR W TNESSES W. N. SPRINGER.

ENGINE GANG PLOW.

APPLIGATION FILED DEG.9,1913.

Patented June 23, 1914.

5 SHEBTS SHEET 2.

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W. N. SPRINGER.

ENGINE GANG PLOW.

APPLICATION TILED DEC. 9, 1913. 7 1,101,350, Patented June 23,191 L 5 $HEBTSSHEET 3.

l/VVENTOR IYNESSES W. N. SPRINGER.

ENGINE GANG PLOW.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 9, 1913.

1,101,350, Patented June 23, 1914.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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ENGINE GANG PLOW. APPLICATION FILED DEC.9,1913.I

1,101,350, 1 Patented June 23,1914.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

T ESSES [N VEN TOR have ture embodying UNITED STATES WILLIAM N. SPRINGER, OF SOUTH BEND,

PLOW WORKS, OF SOUTH BEND,

ASSIGNOR. TO OLIVER CHILLED INDIANA.

INDIANA,

ENGINE GANG-:PLO'W.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Original application filed September 17, 1913, Serial N 0. 790,340. Divided and this application filed December 9, 1913. Serial No. 805,588.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. SPRINGER, of South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and, useful Improvements in Engine Gang-Flows; and I do following to be a full, cleaf, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates'to improvements in engine gang plows and more particularly to mechanism for raising and lowering the plow units,-the same being a division of my application Serial No. 790,340 filed Sept. 17th 1913.

The object of my invention is to provide simple and eflicient means for raising the plow units successively.

A further object is to provide manually. operable means whereby the accurate successive operation of the raising means and their successive release to permit, the lowering of the plow units, may be insured.

A further object is to so construct raising and lowering mechanism for the plow units of a gang plow, that each plow unit may such mechanism carried thereby, and so that the manually operable controlling means for the mechanisms on the several plow, units, may be mounted upon the truck frame and operatively connected with the raising and lowering mechanisms in such manner as to efi'ect the successive operation of the same.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consistsin certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a plow strucmy improvements; Fig. 2 is a plan view of t e same; Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views illustrating the cam mechanism for controlling the stepy-ste operation'of the raising and lowering me anism; Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view showing the clutch devices for the raising mechanism; Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views showing the latch devices for the arm 27 Fi 9 is anenlarged detail view of the arm 2 and the segment '30; Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are detail views of the cam blocks 93-94, Fig.

hereby declare the 10 being a section on the line 10l0 of Fig. 11; Figs. 13

and 14 are detail views of the levers 74, and- Figs. 15 and 16 are the arms 7 9. v

1 represents the diagonal rear beam of the truck frame of an engine gang plow and to this beam, brackets 2 are secured, the number of such brackets corresponding to the number of plow units to be employed. In Fig. 2 of the drawing, plow unit is shown, but it that a plurality of such units will be comprised in the plow structure. As all of said plow units and the operating mechanism for the same, are duplicates of each other, a detail description of one will suiiice for all.

Each plow unit comprises two members 34 spaced apart and held rigid with respect to each other by means of a transverse bracket or spacer 5'located intermediate of the ends of said beam members and securely bolted to the latter. The beam member 3 is straight from end to end, while the rear portion of the beam member 4 is benttO- ward the beam member 3 and lies parallel with the latter, so that the rear portions of the beam members will be properly spaced apart to receive the upper portion of a plow standard 6 and connecting means therefor, said plow standard being secured at its lower end to the soil-engaging member 7. The forward ends of the beam members 34 are connected by a bracket 8, and the lat ter is'provided with forwardly projecting arms 9 provided with bosses 10, having pivotal connection with the brackets 2. At points in rear of the bracket or spreader 5 and in advance of the bent rear portion of the beam member 4, guide brackets 16 are securely bolted to the inner faces of the respective beam members and the ideways of these brackets are slightly inc ined forwardly to receive forwardly inclined standards 17. The lower ends-of the standards 17 are connected by the axle of a gage or liftenlarged detail views of will be understood 1ng wheel 18, and the upper ends of said standards are connected by a frame or bracket 19, which projects forwardly from the same. Securely bolted to the beam member 4 near the rear end of the latter and projecting above the same, is a bracket 20 provided at its upper forward end with laterally projecting bosses 21, to receive bosses 21 on the two members of a triangua single complete lar arm 21 and form pivotal supports for the latter. The two sections of the arm 21 embrace the lower end of a lifting lever 22,

which is secured thereto,said arm 21 thus constituting means whereby the lifting lever is pivotally connected with the bracket 20.. The depending portions of the sections of the triangular arms are provided with laterally projecting hubs or bosses 23, to which the upper ends of lifting bars 24 are pivotally connected by means of, a bolt 25,, ;the lower ends of said lifting bars being piivotally connected with arms 26 secured to the low r ends of the standards adjacent to the axle of the gage or lifting wheel 18. It is apparent that if the lever 22 be moved downwardly, the rear ends of the beam and the soil-engaging member will be raised, the guides 16 on the beam members moving upwardly on the standards 17, and that when said lever is'raised, the plow beam and soilengaging member will be lowered.

An arm 27 is pivotally mounted between its ends upon the boss 21 of one of the sections of arm 21 and in this manner said arm 27 is supported by the bracket 20, with its pivotal'support in line with that of the lever arm 21. vOne end of the arm 27 is made with a head 28 having a recess 29 in one face, and the other end of said arm is made with a toothed segment 30. The head 28 at the smaller end of the segment arm 27 enters a slotted enlargement 31 at the rear end of the bracket 20, and is normally held in said enlargement by means of a latch 32,-the latter being pivotally supported on the bracket 20 at its upper end and adapted to enter the recess 29 in the head 28 of said latch arm. Thelower portion of the enlargement 31 is made with a transverse hole 33 for the passage of a bolt 34 attached to the lower end of the latch 32, and a portion of the-hole 33 is enlarged for the reception of a spring 35 which bears at one end against a suitable head on the free end of the,bolt 34 and thus serves to yieldably hold the latch in place when the head 28 of the segment arm is engaged thereby.

A latch 36 is pivoted at one end tothe triangular arm 21 and provided with a suitable tooth which is pressed into engagement with the. segment 30, by means of a spring 37, and to the free end of the latch, an operating rod 38 is attached.

- A s ring 39 may be attached at one end to the li ting lever 22 and at the otherend to the low standard'or to the rear portion of the cam, to assist in the operation of raising the plow when the lifting lever 22 is depressed.- 1

The frame 19 secured to the upper ends of the standards 17, is provided with bearings for a shaft 40, towhich a sprocketwheel 41 is secured. A larger sprocket wheel 42 is secured to the hub of the gage or lifting whee] 18 and transmits motion, through the medium of a sprocket chain 43, to the sprocket wheel 41 on the shaft 40. The sprocket 41 is provided with clutch teeth 44 to co5perate with clutch teeth 45 on one end of a drum or hub 46 mounted loosely on the shaft 40. 'The drum or hub 46, which constitutes the movable member of the clutch, is provided at one end with an annular flange 47, which also forms one flange for a sleeve 48 movable with the drum 46. The sleeve 48 ismade with an annular enlargement 49, and at one side of the latter, an annular flange 50 is formed and provided with a cam 51 projecting laterally over the peripheral portion of the annular enlargement 49. The sleeve 48 is recessed for the accommodation of a spring 52, one end of which is seated in said recess and the other end of which bears against the frame 19, said spring tending to force the sleeve and the clutch member carried thereby, into operative relation to the clutch member on the sprocket 41;

A chain 53 is attached at one end to the drum 46 and adapted to wind upon the latter/the other end of said chain being connected with the liftinglever 22, through .the medium of a hook 54. The hook 54 is bifurcated so as to embrace the lever 22 and the upper ends of the two arms of the hook are pivotally attached to a link 55, one end of which latter is'pivotally attached to an arm 56 secured to the lever 22. An adjusting screw 57 passes through the link 55 (preferablynear the free end of the latter) and engages the lever 22, wherebythe link 55 may be adjusted to adjust the connection of the chain 53 with saidlever.

A plate 58 is'secured over the forward end of the frame or bracket 19, and at one end of this plate, one end of an arm 59 is pivotally supported and disposed under the plate 58. Near its free end, the arm 59 carries a roller 60 to coiiperate with the annular enlarge-- ment 49 and cam 51 of sleeve 48, as hereinafter explained. At the other end of the plate 58, one end of a lever 61 is pivotally attached, the other end of said lever projecting laterally beyond the opposite side of the frame 19 and connectedwith the rear end of the latter through the medium of a spring 62,-the rear end of the frame 19 being provided with a hooked arm 63 to receive said spring. The lever 61 is provided between its ends with an enlongated slot 64 for the accommodationof a pin 65 secured to the pivoted arm 59, said pin also passing through an elongated slot 66 (approximately at right angles to the slot 64 in the sleeve 61) in the plate 58.

hen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 6, the roller 60 is in engagement with the side face of the annular enlargement 49 and is holding the clutch members separated. Should the lever 61 be moved 74-75 are pivotall forwardly, the pivoted arm 59 with which said lever is connected, would also be moved forwardly and the roller 60 moved out of engagement with the sideof enlargement 49, such movement of the pivoted arm and roller being guided and limited by the movements of the pin in the elongated slots 64 and 66. When the roller 60 shall have been moved as above described, the sleeve 48 will be free to be slid on the shaft 40 by the action of the spring 52 for engaging the clutch teeth 45 with the clutch teeth 44. In other words,the spring 52 will be free to act in moving the sleeve 48 to close the clutch. Motion will now be imparted to the drum 46 to wind the chain 53 thereon for effecting the lowering of the lifting lever 22 and the consequent raising'of the plow beam and soil-engaging member. Atthis time, however, the lever 22 will be locked to the segment arm 27 and the latter will be released from the spring pressed latch 32 in the. slotted enlargement 31, and move with said lever.

lVhen the lifting lever 22 shall have been depressed to raise the plow as hereinbefore described by the application of power from the wheel 18, it will be held in such position by the engagement of a hook 67 with a bolt 68 on the lever 22. The hook 67 is pivotally mounted upon a pedestal 69 located on the spreader 5 and is limited in one direction by a foot 70. A lug 71 projects forwardly from the hook and between this lug and a support on the pedestal, a spring 72 is disposed to retain the hook in and return it to its normal position. The hook 67 is bifurcated to embrace the lever 22 when the latter is lowered, and the membersof said hook are provided at their upper ends with beveled or cam projections 73 to. engage the bolt 68 on the lever and cause the hook to snap over the same.

As hereinbefore stated, each plow unit is provided with the lifting dev1ces such as above described in detail, and devices which will now be described, are provided for causing the mechanisms on the several plow units to be operated successively to effect the raising of the plows one after another or to drop them in succession.-

In line with each plow unit, two levers supported at or near one end by a brac et 76 secured upon the beam 1 of the truck frame. The lever is connected by means of an adjustable rod I 77 with the free end of the clutch lever 61,

and the lever 74 is connected by means of an adjustable rod 78 with the hook 67. Each lever has pivotally attached thereto, an arm 79 carrying a roller 80 at its free end, and each of said arms is provided at its pivoted end with a projection 81 (disposed at right angles to said arm) and provided with an opening 82. A screw 83 (having a head at its rear end) passes forwardly throu h the opening 82 and through a hole 'ina ange 85 on the lever (74 or 75). The

screw 83 is provided with-a nut 86 between which and the flange 85 of the lever (74 or 75), a spring 87 is located. A bar 88 is mounted to slide through the brackets 76 on the truck frame and with this bar, a rack 90 is connected and adapted to receive motion from a pinion 91 on a shaft 92 to be operated manually for imparting motion to the slide bar 88. Opposite each plow unit, two cam blocks 93-94 are secured to the slide bar 88,-the cam block 93 being in position to cooperate with the roller 80 on the arm 79 of lever 74 and the cam block 94 being in position on the slide bar to cooperate with the roller onthe arm 79 of lever 75, and the several pairs of cam blocks on the slide bar-are so disposed that they will, normally, be diflerent distances from the levers 7475 which they are intended to actuate, so that when the slide bar is moved, the levers 7475 connected with the respective plow units will be operated successively for the purpose of causing the plows to be raised or dropped in succession, according to the direction in which the slide bar is moved.

The cam blocks 9394 of the several pairs, are the same in construction but are oppositely disposed on the slide bar 88. Each cam block is constructed with an upwardly inclined face 95 to receive roller .80 and cause the operation of lever 74 or 75 when the slide bar 88 is moved in one direction, and each cam block is also made with a transversely beveled rear wall 96 to receive roller 80 and cause the arm 79 which carries it, to swing out of the path of said cam block and pass it without actuating the lever (74 or 75 as the case may be) when the slide bar is moved in the reverse direction.

Let it be assumed that all the plows .are in working position, with the mechanism of each plow unit disposed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and that it is desired to raise the plows successively. The operator will move the slide bar longitudinally and cause the mechanism of each plow unit to be operated in succession. As a cam block 94 engages the roller 80 on the arm 79 of a lever 75, the

latter will be turned on its fulcrum and motion will thus be imparted through rod 77 to the clutch lever 61 of a plow unit,the

movement of said clutch lever acting to withdraw the roller (50 from the annular enlargement 49 and release the movable clutch member and permit the teeth 45 to engage the clutch teeth 44 on sprocket wheel 41. The chain 53 will be wound upon the drum 46 by power from the wheel 18, as hereinbelore explained, and the lever 22 will be lowered to raise the plow.- When the plow shall have been thus raised, the lever 22 will 'be retained in its lowered position by the hooks 67, and the clutch will be automatically opened by the cooperation of the cam 51 with the roller 60 and said roller -will be forced in front of the annular enlar ement 49 by the action of the spring 62. en it is desired to release the levers 22 to permit the plows to drop to working positions, the operator will move the slide bar 88 in the reverse direction, whereupon the cams 93 will operate the levers 74 of the several plow units successively, and thus cause motion to be imparted through the rods 78 to the hooks 67 to withdraw the same from engagement with the levers 22, permitting the latter to rise and the plows to drop to working position. \Vhen the plow drops to working position, the segment arm 29 will become automatically locked in its normal position by the action of the latch 32. Various changes might be made in the details of construction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof eral plow units successively,

or limiting its scope and hence I do not wish to restrict myself to the precise details herein set forth. I

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In a gang plow, the combination with a truck frame and plow units pivotally connected therewith, of raising mechanism carried by each plow unit, means on the truck frame and connected with the raising mechanism for controlling the operation of the same, retaining the same elevated, and means on the truck frame and connected with said latch device for operating the same to drop the plow unit. v

2. In a gang plow, the combination with a truck frame and a plurality of plow units, of raising mechanism carried by each plow unit, controlling devices on the truck frame connected with the raising mechanism of the several plow units, and means on the truck operatively associated with the several controllin devices for operating the same successive y'to effect the raising of the plow units one. after another.

3. In a gang plow, the combination with a truck frame and a plurality of plow units, of raising mechanism carried by each plow unit, a latch device for each raising mechanism, devices on the truck frame for controlling the raising mechanisms of the sevand means on the truck frame for operating the latches of the several raising mechanisms successively to drop the plow units.

4. In a gang plow, the combination with a truck frame and a plurality of plow units connected therewith, of power driven raising mechanism carried by each plow unit, each of said mechanisms including a clutch a latch device on each plow unit for and means for controlling the same, levers mounted on the truck frame, connections between sald levers and the clutch controlling means of the raising mechanisms, and means for operating said levers successively.

5. In a gang plow, the combination with a truck frame and a plurality of plow units connected therewith, of power driven raising mechanism carried by each plow unit, each of said mechanisms including a clutch and means for controlling the same, levers mounted on the truck frame, connections between said levers: and the clutch controlling means of the raising mechanisms, a slide bar= mounted on the truck frame, means for sliding said bar, and cams secured to said bar, said cams being disposed to operate said levers in succession toeffect the successive raising ofthe plow units.

6. In a gang plow, the combination with a truck frame, and a plurality of plow units connected therewith, of raising mechanism earned by each plow unit, means on the truck frame for controlling the operation of said raising mechanisms successively, latch devices on the plow units for retaining the plow units in raised position,levers on the truck frame, connections between said levers andlatch devices,'and means for operating said levers in succession to actuate the latch devices and drop the plow units successively.

7. In a gang plow, a truck frame, and a pluralityof plow units connected therewith, of raising mechanism carried by each plow unit, a latch device on each plow unit for retaining the same in elevated position, a slide baron the truck frame, means of. operating said bar, a pair of levers connected with the truck frame adjacent to each plow unit, connections between one lever of each pair and the raising mechanism on the adjacent plow unit for controlling said mechanism, a connection between the other lever of each pair and the latch device on the adjacent plow unit, and pairs of cam blocks on the slide bar'for operating the respective levers, said cam blocks being so disposed that when the bar is moved I in one direction one lever of each pair will be operated in succession and so that when the bar is moved in the other direction, the other lever of each pair will, be operated in succession.

8. In a gang plow, the combination with a truck frame, and a plow unit connected therewith, of raising mechanism carried by said plow unit, a lever pivotally connected with the truck frame, a connection between said lever and the raising mechanism for controlling the operation of the latter, an

arm pivotally connected with said lever, a

roller mounted in saidarm, a slide bar on the truck frame, a cam block on the truck frame, said cam block having an inclined the combination with fa'ce to engage the roller and move the lever, specification in the presence of two subscribsaiii1 cam block alio haxfing 'a Beveled refit ing' witnesses. we to engage t e r0 er an move t e roller and pivoted arm out of the path of WILLIAM SPRINGER 5 the cam block, and aspring interposed be Witnesses:

tween said pivoted arm and the lever. KATHRYN E. BUCKLEY,

In testimony whereof, I have signed this EDWIN NIOAR. 

